TN commissioner wants reduced wait times at driver centers

In budget hearings this week, the deputy commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Safety called wait times at driver service centers some of the agency's biggest ongoing problems.

"You don't want to wait. I don't want to wait," said Deputy Commissioner Larry Godwin. "It's about service. It's about the customers. It's about the state of Tennessee taking the lead."

The state comptroller spelled out the issues in a review released this week.

Wait times increased throughout the state as centers saw more customers seeking gun permit transactions.

In the same report, the comptroller also revealed a clerical error gave some unauthorized workers access to edit driver records.

"This is serious stuff. This is people's private, personal information. And you have to be very careful how you handle that. You have to have the highest of standards," said Chris Butler, with the group TennesseeWatchdog.org.

The state cleared up the problem, and as for the service center fix, the state plans to work to cut the number of transactions, change software and push self-serve options.

As for the wait times, the commissioner called July and August a "trainwreck" this week but said improvement in recent weeks could have the department closing in on its 30-minute goal by the end of the year.

The new software system will cost $30 million and should be up and running in early 2015.